1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to building modules, and more particularly it relates to steel shell building modules for forming the walls, floors, and roofs of buildings, parts of buildings, and other structures, such as barrier walls.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of modular building elements in the form of panels, walls, and the like have been disclosed. The advantages of such modular construction includes the ability to more rapidly erect a building and to provide modules that have desired structural and functional characteristics, depending upon the part of the building in which the module is to be installed, and the functional requirements of that part of the building or other structure.
Although building modules can take a number of different forms, and can be made from a variety of materials, metallic building modules and building module elements can provide desired degrees of load bearing capacity, fire resistance, sound and thermal insulation, projectile resistance, and the like. However, the prior art building modules and module elements have not been sufficient to simultaneously satisfy all those criteria. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide building module elements and building modules that provide desired strength, fire resistance, sound and thermal insulation, and security features.
The use of metallic panels to define building walls is known. For example, the disclosure of such wall panels has been made in U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,376, which issued in Feb. 18, 1975, to Nels Nelsson; in U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,664, which issued on Sept. 13, 1955, to A. J. Grafman; and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,351, which issued on Feb. 23, 1982, to Raymond M. L. Ting. However, those patents do not disclose the provision of hollow, metallic building modules that are intended to be load bearing interior and exterior wall, ceiling, floor, and roof structural members, and that also provide fire and projectile resistance for security enclosures.